Bed attachment.



APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 12. 1914 Patented June 22, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET lv rHE NORRIS PETERS CO.. PHOTO-LITHO.. WASHINGTON, n. c

M. R. EWALD.

BED ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 12, 1914.

Patented June 22, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

THE NORRIS PETERS 60.. FHOTO-LITHQ, WASHINGIUN. D c.

M. R. EWALD.

BED ATTACHMENT. APPLICATION FILED SEPT- 12. 1914.

Patented June 22, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

THE NORRIS PETERS co, PHom-L1rHu.. WASHINGTON, D. 'C.

M. R. EWALD.

' BED ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION man SEPT. 12, I914 1 9 1 @8, 1 m I Patented June 22, 1915.

4 SHEETS-SHEET 4.

(1 Hie mam,

THE NORRIS PETERS CO. PHom-uTHOH WASHINGTON D. C

MARTIN R. EWALD, OF PENTWATER, MICHIGAN.

BED ATTACHMENT.

Tit-3 ,613.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 22, 1915.

Application filed September 12, 191%. Serial No, 861,456.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that T, MARTIN R. EWALD, a citizen of the United States, residing at Pentwater, in the county of Oceana and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bed Attachments, of which the following is a spoolfication, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to bed attachments and more particularly to devices for raising or elevating the occupant of the bed to various positions, and the present invention has for its primary object to provide a device of this character which may be easily and quickly attached to the ordinary bed, and provides means whereby the patient may be disposed in a desired position, without undue disturbance, discomfort or inconvenience.

In its more specific aspect, the present invention provides a rock shaft removably mounted upon the bed frame, mattress supporting means fixed upon said shaft, a seetor secured upon the shaft, a combined support and brace arranged between the shaft and one end of the bed frame, and manually operable means mounted upon said support and connected to the sector whereby the shaft may be rotated and the mattress and patient reclining thereon elevated to the desired position.

The invention has for a further object to provide, in a device of the above character, means whereby the patient may be very easily and quickly raised or lowered, said means including a slide block and a rotatable screw engaged therein, whereby all possibility of a sudden shock or jar to the patient is obviated, excessive noise or vibration of the bed frame in the operation of the device being also avoided.

With the above and other objects in view, the invention consists in the novel construction, combination and arrangement'of parts to be hereinafter more fully described, claimed and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein- Figure 1 is a perspective view of the bed having my improved attachment applied thereto; Fig. 2 is a top plan view; Fig. 3 is an enlarged side elevation, showing the normal position of the lifting arms; Fig. 4: is an enlarged section taken on the line 44: of Fig. 2; Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail section of the clamp for attaching the brace member to the bed rail; Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional view through the sector, showing the manner of securing the same upon the rock shaft; Fig. 7 is a section taken on the line 77 of Fig. 4; and Fig. 8 is an enlarged vertical section of one of the hanger bearings for therock shaft.

Referring in detail to the drawings, 5 designates a bed, which in the illustrated embodiment of the invention is of metal construction, though it will be manifest from the following description that by resorting to various well known mechanical expedients, the device may also be applied to beds of wood construction.

In carrying out my invention, I provide a pair of hanger brackets 6, each of which is provided with spaced arms 7, the upper ends of which are flanged, as at 8, for engagement upon the side rails of the bed. The intermediate portion of each bracket is formed with a suitable bearing 9 to receive the ends of the transversely disposed rock shaft 10. Each of the hanger brackets is further formed with an upwardly projecting lug 11 arranged in spaced relation to each of the arms 7. The vertical flange of the bed rail is adapted to be received between these lugs and the opposed portions of the hanger arms. Clamping screws 12 are threaded in the lugs 11 for binding engagement with the bed rail whereby the hanger brackets may be rigidly secured in position thereon.

The rock shaft 10 is preferably of tubular form, and in the ends thereof hollow studs formed upon the arms 13 are adapted to be inserted and rigidly secured to the shaft by means of suitable bolts indicated at 14. The arms 13 preferably taper slightly and are secured at their other ends to a board 15. Adjacent to the opposite ends of this board, the longitudinally extending flexible metal straps 16 are secured, and to these straps, the spaced parallel transversely extending metal straps 17 are fixed. The ends of the latter straps project over the arms 13 and are bent or flanged downwardly, as indicated at 18, for engagement over the outer faces of said arms. It will be observed from reference to Fig. 1 that the lifting arms 13 extend under the mattress M at its opposite edges and at one end thereof, the board 15 and the metal straps 16 and 17, providing the necessary support for the end of the mattress when the same is elevated. The means whereby the lifting arms 13 may be actuated to elevate the patient to a desired position will now be described in detail.

' which is threaded upon the bolt 20, the end of the bar 18 may be securely clamped to the rail. At a point intermediate of its ends, the bar 18 is downwardly inclined and forkedto provide spaced diverging arms 23.

The end of each of these arms is formed with oppositely disposed lugs or ears 2-1 which are apertured to receive bolts 25. These bolts extend through similar ears formed upon a bearing plate 26 which is provided with a concave bearing seat for engagement upon one side of the rock shaft 10. As the description proceeds, it will be unders'tood that the bar 18 provides an effective supplementary support and brace for the shaft 10 and relieves the hanger bearings, in which the same is mounted, of undue strain. 7

At the juncture of the arms 23 with the 1 body of thebrace bar 18, a depending lug 27 is formed and a similar lug 28 is also provided upon the under side of the bar a-djacent'to its outer end which is clamped to-the bed rail. The operating screw 29 is loosely mounted to turn in the latter lug and the inner end of said screw is reduced and'disposed in an opening in the lug 27. By reducing this inner end of the screw, an annular shoulder 30- is formed thereon,

. which bears against the lug 27 and prevents an axial movement of the operating screw inwardly upon the bar 18. A traveling nut 31 is provided with a threaded opening to receive the threads of the screw 29, and said nut. is formed with an upward extension which contacts with and slides upon the under side of the bar 18, as shown at 32. A

shackle loop '33 is pivotallyconnected to the nut 31 and to said loop one end of the link chain 34 is attached. The other end of this chain is connected, as at 35, to the periphery ofa sector 36'. This sector is formed with a half bearing 37 for engagement upon one side "of the shaft .10 and the other half bearing or cap plate indicated at 38, is disposed on the opposite side of the shaft and securely clamped thereontogether with the sector by means of a plurality of bolts indicated at 39f The outer end of the operating T screw 29 is equipped with a suitable hand wheel 40 whereby said "screw may be readily turned to move the traveling nut 31.

Having now described the arrangement of the several elements constituting my invention, its operation will be clearly understood, reference being had more particularly to Figs. 3 and 1 of the drawings. As suming that the lifting arms 13 are disposed in'their normal positions as shown in Fig. 3 and the patient is reclining or lying in a horizontal position, when it is desired to elevate the patient to a sitting posture, or any intermediate position, it is only necessary to rotate the wheel 40 in the proper direction and thus move the traveling nut 31 outwardly upon the bar 18. The chain 3 1 exerting a pull upon the sector 36 rotates the shaft 10 and thus raises or moves the arms 13 upwardly. The end of the mattress which is supported by the board connecting said arms and the flexible metal straps will thus also be raised or elevated as shown in Fig. 1 and the body of the patient moved to the desired position. The use of levers and analogous elements for the operation of such devices is entirely eliminated, and the jerky movement of the parts which subject the patient to considerable shock or jar, thus avoided. The movement of the traveling nut 31 is steady and transmits no appreciable vibration to the bed frame. The hand wheel -10 may be very easily turned, so that the device may be operated with a minimum of manual labor.

From the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction, manner of operation and several advantages of my invention will be clearly "and fully understood.

My improved bed attachment, consists of a very few elements which are all of simple form, and it will therefore be obvious that the device can be produced at small manufacturing cost. The attachment can also be readily applied to the ordinary metal or wooden bed or removed therefrom. The great convenience and serviceability of such an attachment for beds in hospitals, sanitariums and like institutions is at once manifest. However, as the invention may be produced at small cost, it is also well adapted for use in the homes of private individuals.

While I have above described the preferred construction and arrangement of the several parts employed, it will be understood that the invention is susceptible of considerable modification therein, and I therefore reserve the privilege of resorting to all such legitimate changes which may be fairly embodied within the spirit and scope of the invention as claimed.

I claim:

1. The combination with a bed, of a transverse rock shaft removably mounted thereon, lifting arms secured upon said shaft, a removable brace between said shaft and one end of the bed frame, a slide member mounted upon said brace, operating means between said member and the shaft to rock the latter, and means for actuating said slide member to rock the shaft and elevate the lifting arms.

2. The combination with a bed, of removable hanger bearings secured to the side rails of the bed, a rock shaft journaled at its ends in said bearing, lifting arms fixed upon the ends of said shaft, mattress supporting means connecting said arms, a removable brace arranged between said shaft and one end of the bed frame, a slide block longitudinally movable upon said brace, an operating screw mounted upon the brace and threaded in said block to slide the same, and means connecting said slide block to the rock shaft to actuate the latter and elevate the lifting arms.

3. The combination with a bed, of hanger bearings removably clamped to the side rails of said bed, a rock shaft journaled in said bearings, lifting arms secured upon the ends of said shaft, mattress supporting means connecting said arms, a removable brace arranged between the shaft and one end of the bed frame, a sector fixed upon the shaft,

a slide block longitudinally movable onthe brace, a flexible connection between said slide block and the sector, and manually operable means mounted upon the brace for actuating said slide block to rock the shaft and elevate the lifting arms.

4:. The combination with a bed, of hanger bearings removably clamped upon the side rails of said bed, a rock shaft journaled at its ends in said bearings, lifting arms fixed upon the ends'of said shaft, mattress supporting means connecting said arms, a removable brace arranged between the shaft and the end of the bed frame, a block slidably engaged upon said brace, an adjusting screw rotatably mounted upon the brace and threaded in said block, a sector fixed upon the rock shaft in line'with said adjusting screw, and a flexible element connected to the slide block and to said sector whereby the rock shaft is actuated and the lifting arms elevated.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

MARTIN R. EWALD.

Witnesses:

EDWARD L. BATES, Loam M. Barns.

toplea of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Eatontu,

Waahllmmon, 1D. 0. 

